The Direction of the Light Dictates the Style of Window Treatments for Kitchens

If homeowners bought another family’s house, then they can’t control where the windows were placed. However, those building their own homes do have a measure of control. City or local ordinances regulate how the house is placed on the lot, so most of them face forward or toward the road. This can place the windows in all directions, and homeowners will need to know the direction of the light illuminating the kitchen. Light can help, or it can punish. Our job is to get you the benefits of the light, while curtailing the damage it can do. Window treatments for kitchens can do both in a stylish and superior manner.

Direction of the Light

The Florida Solar Energy Center explains how sunlight hits a house at certain angles. The sun rises, they report, north of due east in summer and south of due east in winter. In northern latitude, like Missouri, the sun will hit the house at a more acute angle. This makes east and west facing windows the ones in which homeowners need the most protection. If the kitchen is located in such a way that the sun strikes from the east, then the pot roast won’t be the only thing cooking. The heat will be entering the kitchen for approximately five hours, so window treatments will be necessary to offset some of the sun’s most harmful attributes.

Style of the Windows

The style of the windows has a lot to do with punishing heat in the kitchen. Bow or bay windows, for example, give cooks plenty of natural light in addition to providing light for the kids to do homework at the kitchen table. While this is a good thing, the heat is forcing the HVAC unit to work overtime, which over joys the power company. Older homes tend to have double-hung windows in the kitchen, sometimes over the kitchen sink. Light is minimal, but heat is maxed out. Window treatments that allow light but block heat are required here.

When people think of blinds, a picture of shoddy, cheap aluminum blinds comes to mind. However, strides in energy efficiency have been made beginning with window treatments. Kitchens with an east light would benefit mightily from wood or faux wood mini-blinds. These would allow light, but block the harmful propensities of the sun. Moreover, wood blinds can be adjusted to block the sun from the window it enters at the hottest point of the morning, while the others are adjusted to allow maximum light for cooking or working. Alta’s two-on-one or three-on-one would be perfect for bow or bay windows. One unit could be adjusted to block the sun, while the other units are adjusted for just the right amount of light. Hunter Douglas’ Woodmates Affordable Faux and Norman’s faux wood blinds are a less expensive answer to bay or bow windows as well as double-hung kitchen windows requiring covering.

Style of the Room

Placing wood blinds in a country kitchen, for example, would make a stunning decorating statement. Wood blinds come in a dizzying array of colors and slat widths. However, if homeowners’ kitchens are modern in nature, perhaps another style of window treatment would better highlight the look of the room. Strong eastern light and heat will warp things after a period of time. The heat will reflect off walls and light floors. Window treatments in these cases will be more modern with reflective backing to shunt the light and heat back out the window. May we respectfully and enthusiastically suggest plantation shutters for the country kitchen, the modern kitchen as well as the traditional kitchen?

Do homeowners’ older kitchens have narrower windows such as those over the sink than other homes? Perhaps a bank of windows featuring arches over the main window accents the kitchen. How about one, two or several double-hung windows in the kitchen? Plantation shutters come in any height and width, with vanes or slats of complementing width. Plantation shutters don’t warp. They send the heat and light of the sun back where it came from, leaving cooks with the amount of light they need through modern and stylish window treatments. Alta, Norman and Hunter Douglas make plantation shutters of the most modern composites with no joints showing. Open only the slats necessary for light, while keeping closed slats necessary for blocking light.

Highly rated for customer service Love is Blinds offers 20 years experience and knowledge for homeowners’ window treatment needs. Homeowners will receive a free consultation and measurement. They will go over their needs with a certified professional, and their installment will be free as well. We have much more fascinating things to tell homeowners about the company and our window coverings when you contact us for more information.